Format > 180 Gram Jazz Vinyl

The voice, the 12-string guitar, the rare piano recordings of the legendary Huddie Ledbetter, who lived, many times over, every line of every song he ever sang. Here's an in-depth look, through 12 songs, at one of folk blues' most fabled creators.

Goodnight Irene
Grasshoppers In My Pillow
The Eagle Rocks
Rock Island Line
Ella Speed
Backwater Blues
Take This Hammer
Tell Me, Baby
Eagle Rock Rag
Western Plain
Sweet Mary Blues
On A Christmas Day

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Blues fans should not hesitate in getting this lovely disc on their shelves. Here is the mighty Lightnin' Man in session playing guitar, piano and singing in the 'Big Apple' 1960. This album has been produced using the original master tapes. Tracks include 'If I Don't Get Well No More', 'Take It Easy' and 'Mister Charlie'.

1. Take It Easy
2. Mighty Crazy
3. Your Own Fault, Baby, To Treat Me The Way You Do
4. I’ve Had My Fun If I Don’t Get Well No More
5. The Trouble Blues
6. Lightnin’s Piano Boogie
7. Wonder Why
8. Mister Charlie
9. Black Cat

'The excellence of Louis' band is so high and so consistent that every man deserves commendation for his part in making this remarkably fine record. Trummy Young particularly should be singled out for his driving solos and for the way his 'boots' Louis in the final ensembles. The way I fell about this record can be summed up in this way. When I die, I want people to say, 'That's the guy that if it hadn't been for him and Louis Armstrong and W.C. Handy, there wouldn't have been that great record, Louis Armstrong Plays W.C. Handy.'' – excerpt from the sleeve notes by George Avakian

1. St Louis Blues
2. Yellow Dog Blues
3. Loveless Love
4. Aunt Hagar’s Blues
5. Long Gone (From Bowling Green)
6. Memphis Blues
7. Beale Street Blues
8. Ole Miss Blues
9. Chantez Les Bas (Sing ‘Em Low)
10. Hesitating Blues
11. Atlanta Blues (Make Me One Pallet On Your Floor)
12. George Avakian’s Interview With W.C. Handy
13. Loveless Love (rehearsal sequence)
14. Hesitating Blues (rehearsal sequence)
15. Alligator Story
16. Long Gone (From Bowling Green) (rehearsal sequence)

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As its title implies, on this 1957 release, Machito turns an ear towards the African side of the Afro-Cuban jazz style he helped to pioneer. The energy level on Kenya is astounding, and there's virtually no let up all the way through. Under the direction of Machito and his brother-in-law/right-hand man Mario Bauza, the ensemble tears through a dozen cuts with such disciplined ferocity it's a wonder anyone was left standing at the end of the session. The electrifying big-band arrangements are typified by tight structures, forcefully executed ensemble lines, and of course, a percolating bed of percussion that keeps the groove constant no matter how sophisticated the harmonic intercourse becomes. From rhumba to bata to mambo, the rhythmic drive is invigorating. The contributions of non-Latin jazzmen such as Doc Cheatham and Cannonball Adderley only adds to the mix in this piping-hot musical stew.

1. Wild Jungle
2. Congo Mulence
3. Kenya
4. Oyeme
5. Holiday
6. Cannonology
7. Frenzy
8. Blues A La Machito
9. Conversation
10. Tin Tin Deo
11. Minor Rama
12. Tururato

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Babes in the Wood is Mary Black’s finest, most consistently pleasing album. There is no filler here, and her song selection, culled from new songwriters such as Noel Brazil and classic folkies such as Richard Thompson, is impeccable. The acoustic arrangements (including guitar, piano, mandolin, Dobro and accordion) are carried out by her longtime backing musicians, although the music has a decidedly more pop than Celtic flavor on this album.

1. Still Believing
2. Bright Blue Rose
3. Golden Mile
4. Babes in the Wood
5. The Thorn upon the Rose
6. Just Around the Corner
7. Brand New Star
8. Prayer for Love
9. Adam at the Window
10. The Dimming of the Day
11. Might as Well Be a Slave
12. The Urge for Going

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'This is a classic. At a time when the civil rights movement was starting to heat up, drummer Max Roach performed and recorded a seven-part suite dealing with black history (particularly slavery) and racism. 'Driva' Man' has a powerful statement by veteran tenor Coleman Hawkins and there is valuable solo space elsewhere for trumpeter Booker Little and trombonist Julian Priester, but it is the overall performance of Abbey Lincoln that is most notable. Formerly a nightclub singer, Lincoln really came into her own under Roach's tutelage and she is a strong force throughout this intense set. On 'Tryptich: Prayer/Protest/Peace,' Lincoln is heard in duets with the drummer and her wrenching screams of rage are quite memorable. This timeless protest record is a gem.' – Scott Yanow

1. Driva Man
2. Freedom Day
3. Triptych: Prayer
4. Protest
5. Peace
6. All Africa
7. Tears For Johannesburg

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Nancy Wilson is a vocalist who is as versatile as she is sultry and swinging. Her music incorporates jazz, soul, pop, blues and even a little bit of country. Appearing along side George Shearing and Cannonball Adderley on several albums from the 1960’s a soulful jazz influence is vibrantly alive in her vocals and music. She is always persuasive and to the point, what ever her setting and especially on this album. The star track is of course “Son Of A Preacher Man”, where Nancy gets down and funky, her voice full of yearning and passion- she’s cooking. But don’t be fooled by this one super hit, the rest of the album has several more gems and funky classics for the listener, and vibrant instrumentals throughout. Available on the fine 180g Pure Pleasure label out of Germany, she has never sounded quite as vibrant and lush!!!

1. Son of a Preacher Man
2. By the Time I Get to Phoenix
3. Mr. Walker It's All Over
4. I Made You This Way
5. Almost Persuaded
6. Got It Together
7. Make the World Go Away
8. Husbands and Wives
9. Little Green Apples
10. Trouble in Mind

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Nat 'King' Cole's music is the perfect combination of romantic charm and musical invention. Cole is renowned for his big production numbers and pop hits such as 'Stardust,' but he was also an accomplished and unique jazz pianist and excelled in a small-group setting. After Midnight's album cover states that this is a 'trio' release. However, Cole is actually paired up with his trio plus five guest soloists (saxophone, trombone, trumpet, percussion and violin). The dubious credits don't matter much though. This is precious music and, without a doubt, one of Cole's best records. Included here are wonderful and intimate renditions of Cole favorites like'Sweet Lorraine,' '(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66' and many others. Trombonist Juan Tizol performs a beautiful version of his Afro-Cuban tune 'Caravan,' and Cole and violinist Stuff Smith trade some hot licks on the up-tempo 'I Know That You Know.' For anybody looking to understand the depth and breadth of Cole's jazz roots, this disc is an excellent point of departure. Mastered by Steve Hoffman and Kevin Gray.

1. Just You, Just Me
2. Sweet Lorraine
3. Sometimes I'm Happy
4. Caravan
5. It's Only a Paper Moon
6. You're Looking at Me
7. The Lonely One
8. Don't Let it Go to Your Head
9. I Know That You Know
10. Blame it on my Youth
11. When I Grow too Old to Dream
12. Route 66
13. I Was a Little too Lonely (and You Were a Little too Late)
14. Your Can Depend on Me
15. What is There to Say
16. Two Loves Have I
17. andy
18. You're Looking at Me (alternate take)

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The reunion that took place in this 1961 session was between Russell and tenor-great Coleman Hawkins; they had first recorded one of the songs, ('If I Could Be with You') back in 1929. Both Hawk and Russell had remained modern soloists and on this unusual but very satisfying date (which also features trumpeter Emmett Berry and trombonist Bob Brookmeyer) they explore such numers as a pair of Ellington classics ('All Too Soon' and 'What Am I Here For?'), two Russell originals, and even the boppish 'Tin Tin Deo.

1. If I Could Be With You (One Hour Tonight)
2. Tin Tin Deo
3. Mariooch
4. All Too Soon
5. 28th And 8th
6. What Am I Here For

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Peggy Lee was three decades into her career by the time of this 1969 classic, one of the best-selling albums of her incredible career. She definitely could still bring it. Every tune here is a keeper, including a remake of Lee's own 1940 hit 'Don't Smoke In Bed' as well as covers of George Harrison's 'Something,' Neil Diamond's 'Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show' and Randy Newman's 'Love Story.' But the real treasure is the title track, a Newman arrangement of a Leiber & Stoller song.

1. Is That All There Is?
2. Love Story
3. Me and My Shadow
4. My Old Flame
5. I'm a Woman
6. Brother Love's Travelling Salvation Show
7. Something
8. Whistle for Happiness
9. Johnny (Linda)
10. Don't Smoke in Bed

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Starting with the gospel and bop according to Thelonious Monk, Randy Weston gradually absorbed the letter and spirit of African and Caribbean rhythms and tunes, welding everything together into a searching, energizing, often celebratory blend. His piano work ranges across a profusion of styles from boogie-woogie through bop into dissonance marked by a stabbing quality reminiscent of, but not totally indebted to Monk. This album combines Weston’s rhythmically intriguing explorations with the Ellington-like arrangements of Melba Liston and represented a high point in his career at the time. All of the tunes written by Weston were inspired by his children Niles and Pamela. The innocence, excitement, anticipation and tension of childhood are all displayed here in these warm vinyl grooves.

1. Earth Birth
2. Little Susan
3. Nice Ice
4. Little Niles
5. Pam’s Waltz
6. Babe’s Blues
7. Let’s Climb a Hill

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This 1949 session from one of the all-time jazz greats (female or otherwise) features fellow heavyweights Miles Davis, Freddie Green and Budd Johnson among others. Vaughan recorded for Columbia between 1949 and 1952, yet only two LPs were ever released from the many tracks she produced during that period: the strings-only Afterhours and the present Sarah Vaughan In Hi-Fi, which is a more jazz-oriented collection. These are, without question, some of Vaughan's finest recordings. Hear her in her prime.

1. East Of The Sun (And West Of The Moon)
2. Nice Work If You Can Get It
3. Pinky
4. The Nearness Of You
5. Come Rain Or Come Shine
6. Mean To Me
7. It Might As Well Be Spring
8. Can’t Get Out Of this Mood
9. Spring Will Be A Little Late This Year
10. Ooh, What ‘Cha Doin’ To Me
11. Goodnight My Love
12. Ain’t Misbehavin’
13. It’s All In The Mind
14. The Nearness Of You (alternate take)
15. Ain’t Misbehavin’ (alternate take)
16. Goodnight My Love (alternate take)
17. Can’t Get Out Of this Mood (alternate take)
18. It Might As Well Be Spring (alternate take)
19. Mean To Me (alternate take)
20. Come Rain Or Come Shine (alternate take)
21. East Of The Sun (And West Of The Moon) (alternate take)

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Vocalist Stacy Kent is an exceptional ballad interpreter, and she puts a unique sound and delivery to this collection of covers. She makes each song her own, and is backed here by a tight-knit group of professionals, including her husband, Jim Tomlinson, who contributes clarinet and tenor sax. Dreamsville hit the Swedish Pop Charts in 1999 and won the Gold Award in Japan's Swing Journal that same year.

1. I've Got A Crush On You
2. When Your Lover Has Gone
3. Isn't It A Pity?
4. You Are There
5. Under A Blanket Of Blue
6. Dreamsville
7. Polka Dots And Moonbeams
8. Hushabye Mountain
9. Little Girl Blue
10. You're Looking At Me
11. Violets For Your Furs
12. Thanks For The Memory

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This 1976 album by the late saxophonist Stan Getz is a reunion of sorts with Joao Gilberto, the great Brazilian guitarist and singer, and the music of Antonio Carolos Jobim (or Tom Jobim), along with the stylish and noninstrusive arrangements of Oscar Carolos Neves. The trio changed the world in the early 1960s with its Getz/Gilberto albums. With Neves, they almost did it again, but with all the crap falling down around them in the musical climate of the mid-'70s – fusion, disco, overblown rock, and the serious decline of jazz – this disc was critically overlooked at the time. Joining these four men in their realization of modern bossa and samba are drummers Billy Hart and Grady Tate, percussionists Airto, Ray Armando, and Ruben Bassini, bassist Steve Swallow, pianist Albert Daily, and Heliosoa Buarque de Hollanda singing the English vocals as a fill-in for Astrud Gilberto – who was not invited to join this session and would have declined if she were. The most beautiful thing about this recording is that Jobim – whose song forms had reached such a degree of sophistication that he was untouchable – chose to write all of his lyrics in English…This is something that did not come naturally or effortlessly to Jobim, but sounds as if it did.

1. Double Rainbow
2. Aguas De Marco (Waters Of March)
3. Ligia
4. Falsa Baiana
5. Retrato Em Branco E Preto (Picture In Black And White)
6. Isaura (You Know I Just Shouldn’t Stay)
7. Eu Vim Da Bahia
8. Joao Marcelo
9. E Preciso Perdoar
10. Just One Of Those Things

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Some of soprano saxophonist Steve Lacy's most interesting recordings are his earliest ones. After spending periods of time playing with Dixieland groups and then with Cecil Taylor (which was quite a jump), Steve Lacy made several recordings that displayed his love of Thelonious Monk's music plus his varied experiences. On this particular set, Steve Lacy's soprano contrasts well with Charles Davis' baritone on three of the most difficult Thelonious Monk tunes ('Introspection,' 'Played Twice' and 'Criss Cross') plus two Cecil Taylor compositions and Charlie Parker's 'Donna Lee.'

1. Louise
2. Introspection
3. Donna Lee
4. Played Twice
5. Air
6. Criss Cross

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Impulse, the new record company founded by Bob Thiele, was where Charlie Mingus made his musical home at the end of 1962. And with his very first album, entitled “The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady”, the double bass player produced a masterwork of the very highest order; this time it was his compositional talent rather than his instrument which was in the limelight. He added a good portion of rhythmic variety to the melodiousness of his ‘hero’ Duke Ellington and then added a touch of politics, for even in 1963 slavery had by no means been fully abolished in ‘American Society’! That is the explanation for the title of the suite – a harking back to African roots, the struggle for human rights for black people on all levels of political and cultural society, and a vision of ‘Freedom Day’!Though Charlie Mariano’s tenor saxophone is spotlighted soloistically, it is really the varying timbres and changes in tempo that make all 39 minutes of this LP a sheer pleasure to listen to.

But Charlie Mingus does not demand that his public merely sit and listen to his music; he wants them to get up and dance to it. No, it’s not ballet music – more an inspiration for expressing oneself in movement.

The old Impulse pressings with their wonderful gatefold sleeves were almost always disappointing from a technical point of view because the LPs contained too much re-cycled vinyl. Now, after almost 40 years, we have the opportunity to bestow the studio technique with the recognition it deserves. This is the music that everyone always wanted to take with them on their desert island.

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All of the stylistic elements that made Miles Davis’ 1956 quintet one of the immortal bands in jazz history are on display in this collection. “Surrey with the Fringe on Top” and “Diane” are medium-tempo standards that highlight the contrast between the leader’s Harmon-muted horn, the explorations of John Coltrane’s tenor sax and Red Garland’s sparkling piano. “Salt Peanuts” and “Well, You Needn’t,” each a modern jazz classic, allow for intense swinging over the beat of Paul Chambers’ bass and Philly Joe Jones’ drums. And “Something I Dreamed Last Night” and “When I Fall in Love” give us vulnerable, visceral ballad playing by Davis that remains unsurpassed

1. Surrey With The Fringe on Top
2. Salt Peanuts
3. Something I Dreamed Last Night
4. Diane
5. Well, You Needn't
6. When I Fall in Love

Although always recognized as a trumpeter with unsurpassed lyrical qualities, Chet Baker had many ups and downs in his long career. The very late 1950's was not an up period; the West Coast label he was under contract to readily allowed Riverside to borrow him as leader on four albums. Most of them were extremely uneven, but this one definitely worked.

The album has a strong basic concept (simply to turn Chet loose on some first-class standard-ballad compositions) and one of those casual all-star lineups that the jazz scene of those days made possible: Bill Evans, Kenny Burrell, Herbie Mann, Pepper Adams, Paul Chambers, Connie Kay and Philly Joe Jones.

Mastered by Doug Sax.

1. Alone Together
2. How High the Moon
3. It Never Entered My Mind
4. 'Tis Autumn
5. If You Could See Me Now
6. September Song
7. You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To
8. Time On My Hands (You In My Arms)
9. You And The Night And The Music

So popular was CCR worldwide that by 1970 the group was consistently scoring hits on both the A and B sides of its singles, a feat previously accomplished by Elvis Presley and the Beatles. This LP, released in November 1969, proved no exception, containing "Fortunate Son" and "Down On The Corner," the latter becoming one of CCR's biggest hits to date. Fogerty's fine gritty voice and his tight vocal overdubbing are standouts, along with his excellent renditions of "Cotton Fields" and "Midnight Special." Willy And The Poorboys remained on the Billboard charts for 60 weeks, scoring as high as No. 3 and garnering the group's third platinum LP.

1. Down On The Corner
2. It Came Out Of The Sky
3. Poorboy Shuffle
4. Feelin' Blue
5. Fortunate Son
6. Don't Look Now
7. The Midnight Special
8. Side O' The Road
9. Effigy

"…On Waltz for Debby, recorded live at the Village Vanguard in 1961, Bill Evans perfected the jazz trio: all three parts equal, yet integrated into song forms. The sound quality is near-perfect." – Fred Kaplan, Stereophile, February 2007

This is the second of two Riverside albums made up of selections recorded by the classic Bill Evans, Scott LaFaro, and Paul Motian trio at their legendary live recording session of June 25, 1961. Although originally issued a half-year later than Sunday At The Village Vanguard, this was by no means an afterthought collection of lesser items: Evans and producer Orrin Keepnews immediately recognized that there was more than enough material for two top-level records. The dozen chosen performances were subdivided to enable the first album released to feature LaFaro--who died in an auto accident just ten days after recording. Thus this second collection can fairly be said to present a more typical overview of this remarkable unit at work.

Mastered by Doug Sax.

1. My Foolish Heart
2. Waltz For Debby
3. Detour Ahead
4. My Romance
5. Some Other Time
6. Milestones

"… …Passionate, mysterious, intricate, earthy, ethereal, moody and mystical, the rich musical improvisations on this recording defy categorization…The recording is as astonishing as the music: a harmonically complex, three dimensional, two-microphone purist production that will easily take its place at the top of the sonic heap in your record collection and that's a guarantee…this is among the most spacious, convincing three-dimensional recordings you will ever hear…An essential record in any 21st century vinyl collection." Music = 11/11; Sound = 11/11 – Michael Fremer, Music Angle, www.musicangle.com

"The quintessential 2 mic Blumlein recording, a musical extravaganza – on 45rpm it destroys the early '90s CD!" – Danny Kaey, Positive-Feedback Online

"…Astonishingly, the four conversational yet adventurous tracks captured on A Meeting by the River were unrehearsed jams between the two masters, who had met only minutes before the session. The lesson is that Cooder and Bhatt not only knew how to play, but how to listen." – Daniel Durchholz, Stereophile, February 2007

American composer, musicologist and guitar legend Ry Cooder teams with North Indian musician Vishwa Mohan Bhatt to create an exquisite musical realm, with both musicians playing exceptional slide guitar. Their collaboration evokes musical elements from many cultures and styles. Percussion by Sukhvindar Singh on tabla and Cooder's 14-year-old son Joachim on dumbek. This recording won a Grammy Award.

1. A Meeting By The River
2. Longing
3. Ganges Delta Blues
4. Isa Lei

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Undeniably one of the best small bands in the history of jazz, the Miles Davis quintet of the mid-1950s made history at the Cafe Bohemia on Manhattan's Barrow Street and in the New Jersey studio of Rudy Van Gelder for Prestige. This is the 3rd in a series of four LPs taped in two marathon studio sessions, done in the style of sets at the Bohemia, producing music of high energy and immediacy. This is a mix of standards and originals, up-tempos and ballads, and a trio number, "Ahmad's Blues." Miles is the sole survivor of this quintet but the music made in the mid-50's period will live forever. The excitement of the emerging John Coltrane; the informed, melodic swing of Red Garland; the tremendous snap and pop of the rhythm trio of Garland, Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones, and Miles' poignancy and intense swing. Recording engineered by Rudy Van Gelder.

Mastered by Stan Ricker.

1. It Never Entered My Mind
2. Four
3. In Your Own Sweet Way
4. The Theme (take 1)
5. Trane's Blues
6. Ahmad's Blues
7. Half Nelson 8. The Theme (take 2)

For Ben Webster, his Los Angeles years of the late 1950's and early 1960's held massive frustration that was relieved by only a few high points. Jobs were scarce, and the lack of recognition and appreciation must have been heartbreaking for this tenor saxophone giant who felt things deeply. A bright spot for Webster was that when he worked, it was often with the splendid band in this album. In Jimmy Rowles, Jim Hall, Red Mitchell and Frank Butler, he had sympathetic and inspirational colleagues. This live recording captures their remarkable empathy.

Mastered by Doug Sax.

1. Caravan
2. Georgia On My Mind
3. Ole Miss Blues
4. What Is This Thing Called Love
5. Stardust
6. Mop Mop

Mastered off the original 2-track tape recorded with a tube AKG-C12 microphone on a tube Ampex 350 machine. Features Ray Brown on bass and Shelly Manne on drums. Over his long and distinguished career, Sonny Rollins has made many dozens of albums. Among those recorded during the fifties, Prestige's Movin' Out and Colossus, Blue Note's A Night at the Village Vanguard, Riverside's The Sound of Sonny, and Way Out West on Contemporary qualify as all-time Rollins classics.

The session for Way Out West, Rollins' first ever in California, was called for 3 a.m. to accommodate everyone's busy schedules. Sonny, who could never be accused of overstatement, announced after four hours of recording: "I'm hot now."

Mastered by Doug Sax.

"Way Out West is a piano-less trio - another va-va-vivid Roy DuNann production - with Rollins spinning quirky geometric patterns through odd standards like 'I'm an Old Cow Hand.'" - Fred Kaplan, The Absolute Sound, December 2005 (included in Kaplan's "Best-Sounding Jazz LPs")

1. I'm An Old Cowhand
2. Solitude
3. Come, Gone
4. Wagon Wheels
5. There Is No Greater Love
6. Way Out West

Although singer Nancy Harrow made a strong impression with her 1960 debut recording, Wild Women Don't Have The Blues, she did not lead another major record date until 1978, which makes this one all the more special. She obviously made the best of her time hear, however, as this set is a near-classic. Harrow is heard in her early prime singing such classic songs as "All Too Soon," "On The Sunny Side Of The Street," the seven-minute "Blues For Yesterday," and the title cut originally done by Ida Cox in the 1920s.

1. Take Me Back Baby
2. All Too Soon
3. Can’t We Be Friends
4. On The Sunny Side Of The Street
5. Wild Women Don’t Have The Blues
6. I’ve Got The World On A String
7. I Don’t Know What Kind Of Blues I’ve Got
8. Blues For Yesterday

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Arguably the most adventurous female jazz singer of all time, Betty Carter was an idiosyncratic stylist and a restless improviser who pushed the limits of melody and harmony as much as any bebop horn player. The husky-voiced Carter was capable of radical, off-the-cuff re-workings of whatever she sang, abruptly changing tempos and dynamics or rearranging the lyrics into distinctive, off-the-beat rhythmic patterns. Now It's My Turn features Betty recording in the hip trio format that she developed to fantastic heights during the decade and she sings standards and originals here with a warmth an imagination that is unparalleled. Features a sublime version of "Open The Door," plus "New Blues," "I Was Telling Him About You," "Most Gentlemen Don't Like Love" and "Making Dreams Come True."

1. Music Maestro, Please
2. Swing Brother Swing
3. I Was Telling Him About You
4. Wagon Wheels
5. New Blues (You Purr)
6. Most Gentlemen Don't Like Love
7. Making Dreams Come True
8. Open the Door
9. Just Friends
10. Star Eyes
11. No More Words

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Sounds of Synanon is a significant recording in that it was Joe Pass' debut and it has an extremely interesting backstory. It was recorded while Pass was still a patient at the Synanon Drug Center in California. Made with fellow patients, Pass proved to be the star. It's interesting to note that Pass played an electric solid-body rock guitar here, as he did not even own a guitar at this time. His legendary chops are especially evident on "Projections" and "Hang Tough," featuring some of his cleanest playing ever recorded. His accompanists prove to be adequate, but hardly approach the genius of Pass. A landmark recording in the history of jazz guitar!

1. C.E.D.
2. Aaron’s Song
3. Stay Loose
4. Projections
5. Hang Tough
6. Self-Image
7. Last Call For Coffee

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Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey re-emerges with their most mind-expanding album yet, Lil Tae Rides Again. The fearless trio from Tulsa, Oklahoma appeared for only a handful of tour dates and summer festivals in 2007. Rumors swirled among fans regarding the reasons for such scarcity. They simply went underground to create music on their own terms, in their own universe, on their own timetable.

The trio enlisted eccentric electronic music futurist Tae Meyulks to produce. He shared in the trio's vision to record an album awash in sprawling soundscapes, minimalist melodies and subliminal themes. Lil Tae Rides Again achieves its intent, an Eno-esque masterwork that offers a sustaining aura of psychedelic splendor. As on previous efforts, JFJO define themselves as a mercurial musical force in a constant state of re-imagining their creative horizons. The beauty in JFJO's self-definition is that they are utterly un-definable. Lil Tae Rides Again, but better still, Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey rides again.

1. Autumnal
2. Winter Clothes
3. Tether Ball Triumph
4. Carpool
5. Tae Parade
6. Santiago Lends a Hand
7. Waking the Reluctant Genius
8. Scuffle in the Hall
9. The Votes are Counted
10. Recovering the Time Capsule

A classic set originally cut for the Choice label, Where Is Love is a program of ballads exquisitely interpreted by singer Irene Kral and pianist Alan Broadbent. The tempos are all quite slow, but the emotional yet cool intensity given by Kral and Broadbent leaves no slow moments. Among the songs given definitive and memorable treatment are Blossom Dearie's "I Like You, You're Nice" and Bob Dorough's "Love Came On Stealthy Fingers," "Never Let Me Go," and especially "Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most."

1. I Like You, You're Nice
2. When I Look In Your Eyes
3. A Time For Love / Small World
4. Love Came On Stealthy Fingers
5. Never Let Me Go
6. Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most
7. Lucky To Be Me / Some Other Time
8. Where Is Love?
9. Don't Look Back

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The formula was simple: surround Ella with a small group of virtuoso musicians who were regulars on the Pablo label for a session where informality prevailed and everyone could "stretch out." Ella is in top form, and the song selection includes many standards that are given fresh interpretations. The version of Monk's "Round Midnight" is not to be missed. And with the whole proceedings captured in audiophile-approved sound, this has to rank as one of the strongest dates of Ella's illustrious career.

1. Fine And Mellow
2. I''m Just A Lucky So And So
3. (I Don''t Stand) A Ghost Of A Chance With You
4. Rockin'' In Rhythm
5. I''m In The Mood For Love
6. ''Round Midnight
7. I Can''t Give You Anything But Love
8. The Man I Love
9. Polka Dots And Moonbeams

The original soundtrack from the film 'Blow-up' features the work of both Herbie Hancock (with Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson, Ron Carter and Jack DeJohnette) and the Yardbirds (with Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page) to produce a soundtrack full of proto-funk and features the classic 'Bring Down the Birds'.

1. Main Title
2. Verushka Pt.1
3. Verushka Pt.2
4. The naked camera
5. Bring down the birds
6. Jane's theme
7. Stroll on (The Yardbirds)
8. The thief
9. The kiss
10. Curiosity
11. Thomas studies photos
12. The bed
13. End title 'Blow Up'

Miles Davis, trumpet
John Coltrane, tenor sax
Red Garland, piano
Paul Chambers, bass
Philly Joe Jones, drums

1.JUST SQUEEZE ME
2.THERE IS NO GREATER LOVE
3.HOW AM I TO KNOW?
4.S'POSIN
5.THE THEME
6.STABLEMATES

In 1962, Contemporary Records set out to create the ultimate stereophonic listening experience. Widely acclaimed for both the sonic quality of its recordings and its classic and adventuresome jazz repertoire, Lester Koenig decided to meld these two elements into an album that would test the mettle of any stereo system, while providing listeners with entertaining and unusual treatments of familiar repertoire. Shelly Manne, who was a mainstay of Contemporary's artist roster, and who was acutely aware of the subtleties of sound recording, was the obvious protagonist for such a project. Shelly's arrangements, in which he plays a vast array of exotic and seldom heard percussion instruments (and other objects) in duet with Jack Marshall's nylon string acoustic guitar, were conceived so as to demonstrate to the fullest the capabilities of Contemporary's renowned recording system.

1. Pionciana
2. My Funny Valentine
3. The Continental
4. By Myself
5. Stormy Weather
6. Begin the Beguine
7. Night and Day
8. Makin' Whoopee
9. The Piccolino
10. I'll Remember April
11. The Boy Next Door
12. Temptation

The place: one of New York’s most celebrated jazz rooms, the Five Spot. The time: summer 1958. The leader is the great Thelonious Monk, at the peak of his abilities as a performer and captured “in action” at the club where he first emerged into the spotlight. The band is one that has been drastically undervalued in history, largely because it was the successor to the legendary quartet that featured John Coltrane. But this group — Johnny Griffin, Roy Haynes, Ahmed Abdul-Malik and their exuberant leader — created two highly memorable in-performance albums (of which this is the first) of classic Monk repertoire.

Light Blue
Coming On The Hudson
Rhythm-A-Ning
Epistrophy - (theme)
Blue Monk
Evidence
Epistrophy - (theme)
Unidentified Solo Piano
Blues Five Spot
In Walked Bud / Epistrophy - (theme)

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Though he moved to Hollywood more than four decades ago, Benny Carter transcends any geographical style; for more than a half century, he has been just what he is called in this album--a giant of every jazz era. Here he displays three of his many talents, principally as an alto saxophonist, but also as a composer on two numbers and a trumpeter on two.

The company he kept, with Ben Webster and Frank Rosolino rounding out the front line, and such fellow giants as Andre Previn, Barney Kessel, Leroy Vinnegar, and Shelly Manne in the rhythm section (Jimmy Rowles replaces Previn on two tracks) left no doubt that this album would be a milestone in straight-ahead, small group, mainstream jazz.

Track Listings
1. Old Fashioned Love
2. I'm Coming Virginia
3. A Walkin' Thing
4. Blue Lou
5. Ain't She Sweet
6. How Can You Lose
7. Blues My Naughty Sweetie Gives to Me

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The intimate series of duet albums that Ella Fitzgerald and Joe Pass recorded for Pablo made two things perfectly clear regarding the First Lady of Song: her celebrated musicianship remained exceptional after four decades in the limelight, and her ability to get inside the meaning of a lyric and convey it to an audience had been woefully underestimated. Pass, who gets to display the subtler aspects of his own virtuosity and his overlooked strengths as an accompanist, was the perfect partner for an effort where the relaxed "after hours" feeling intensified the level of communication.

Track Listings
1. I Ain't Got Nothin' But the Blues
2. 'Tis Autumn
3. My Old Flame
4. That Old Feeling
5. Rain
6. I Didn't Know About You
7. You Took Advantage of Me
8. I've Got the World on a String
9. All Too Soon
10. One I Love (Belongs to Somebody Else)
11. Solitude
12. Nature Boy
13. Tennessee Waltz
14. One Note Samba

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The undeniably erratic early career of Chet Baker involved roller-coaster extremes and musical paradoxes. In the Fifties, his sound and approach were often compared to Miles Davis, although his greatest successes came in a West Coast setting with Gerry Mulligan's cool, piano-less quartet and often emphasized ballads and soft-toned vocals. But this album shows Baker in a unique direct assault in Davis territory, including a couple of tunes associated with Miles; and above all with a driving East Coast supporting cast made up of tough-tenor Johnny Griffin, bebop veteran Al Haig and frequent Davis colleagues Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones.

Track Listings
1. Fair Weather
2. Polka Dots And Moonbeams
3. Hotel 49
4. Solar
5. Blue Thoughts
6. When Lights Are Low

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A musician with a penchant for variety and surprise, Johnny Griffin has provided plenty of both through his long career. This 1961 quartet album found the master tenor saxophonist exploring the possibilities in four familiar folk songs, three original compositions and a standard song, “Hush-a-Bye,” based on a classical piece. To all of them Griffin applied his magisterial tone, vital imagination and ability to extract the greatest meaning from any harmonic structure. His companions in the adventure were Barry Harris, who was virtually the Riverside Records house pianist during this period; Ron Carter, a bassist of steadily increasing importance; and Ben Riley, then working with Sonny Rollins and soon to become Thelonious Monk’s drummer. It is unlikely that any group of Scottish singers ever performed “Green Grow the Rushes” with energy like Griffin’s.

Track Listings
1. The Kerry Dancers
2. Black is the Color of My True Love's Hair
3. Green Grow The Rushes
4. The Londonderry Air
5. 24 1/2 Daze
6. Oh, Now I See
7. Hush-A-Bye
8. Ballad for Monsieur

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One of the pivotal recordings in bringing about the widespread acceptance of Sonny Rollins as a major figure, Saxophone Colossus inspired critics to write scholarly analysis and fans to revel in the hard-swinging invention, humor, and tender-strength balladry. Up to this album, while most musicians recognized Rollins as one of the new influential forces in the jazz of the Fifties, most critics were carping at Rollins or damning him with faint praise. "St. Thomas," a traditional West Indian melody which Mal Waldron remembered as "The Carnival," was recorded by many artists after Sonny introduced it here, and it remains a jazz standard today. The contributions of Tommy Flanagan's elegant swing, Doug Watkins' steady lift and Max Roach's most musical accompaniment and soloing (hear "Blue 7") make this a landmark album. Mastered by Steve Hoffman and Kevin Gray.

Track Listings
1. Strode Rode
2. Blue 7
3. Moritat
4. St. Thomas
5. You Don't Know What Love Is

The Modern Jazz Quartet’s origins, like so much in postwar jazz, were in Dizzy Gillespie’s 1946 big band. Vibraharpist Milt Jackson often joined the rhythm section so that the four could perform as a quartet and give the brass section a rest from Gillespie’s demanding arrangements. Later, they worked as the Milt Jackson Quartet. In the early 1950s, they changed the name to the Modern Jazz Quartet and over the next three and a half decades were one of the most successful and acclaimed small bands in the history of jazz. The MJQ was a leaderless group, but John Lewis functioned as musical director and wrote much of the group’s repertoire. Many of his compositions reflected musical traditions going back to Bach and the Italian renaissance. One of them, "Django," the stately piece named for the virtuoso French gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt, became an instant jazz classic.

"…Django was one of the group's finest albums, and is a welcome addition to the re-issue market. While not audiophile grade recordings, these sessions provide quite good sound given their early provenance. Rudy Van Gelder recorded the later sessions, but the uncreditied 1953 session does not suffer by comparison. I compared the Van Gelder recorded sessions to the original 10" LP. The remastered LP wins hands down, the purity of the vibes being the most conspicuous evidence. I will return to this LP many times." Recording = 7/10; Music = 8/10 – Dennis Davis, Hi-Fi+, Issue 43

“The latest round of Acoustic Sounds’ ‘Fantasy 45 series’ – albums from Fantasy’s Original Jazz Classics catalogue, each reissued on two 180-gram LPs cut at 45rpm – includes two mid-‘50s masterworks…The better part of Django was recorded the day before the Miles session, and John Lewis’ piano sounds fine and present, while Jackson’s vibes seem a bit recessed – which tells you who was in charge. Heath’s bass, once again, is spot-on; you can smell the wood.” – Fred Kaplan, The Absolute Sound, January 2006, Issue 158

The Queen's Fancy
Delaunay's Dilemma
Autumn In New York
But Not For Me
La Ronde Suite
Django
One Bass Hit
Milano

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"Lightnin' is among the rewarding acoustic dates Lightnin' Hopkins delivered in the early '60s. The session has an informal, relaxed quality, and this approach serves a 48-year-old Hopkins impressively well on both originals like 'Thinkin' 'Bout an Old Friend' and the familiar 'Katie Mae' and enjoyable interpretations of Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee's 'Back to New Orleans' and Arthur 'Big Boy' Crudup's 'Mean Old Frisco.' Hopkins' only accompaniment consists of bassist Leonard Gaskin and drummer Belton Evans, both of whom play in an understated fashion and do their part to make this intimate setting successful. From the remorseful 'Come Back Baby' to more lighthearted, fun numbers like 'You Better Watch Yourself' and 'Automobile Blues,' Lightnin' is a lot like being in a small club with Hopkins as he shares his experiences, insights and humor with you." - All Music Guide

Track Listings
1. Automobile Blues
2. You Better Watch Yourself
3. Mean Old Frisco
4. Shinin' Moon
5. Come Back Baby
6. Thinkin' 'Bout An Old Friend
7. The Walkin' Blues
8. Back To New Orleans
9. Katie Mae
10. Down There Baby

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The Hawk at his finest with features like "A Fellow Needs A Girl" and a version of "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes." Hawkins, of course, is on tenor sax. He's joined by Tommy Flanagan on piano, Major Holly Jr. on bass, and Eddie Locke on drums.

Track Listings
1. I Talk to the Trees
2. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
3. Wanting You
4. Strange Music
5. The Man That Got Away
6. Get Out of Town
7. Here I'll Stay
8. A Fellow Needs a Girl

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The quintet on this LP was not the first operated by Cannonball Adderley. The gregarious alto saxophonist and his cornetist brother Nat had a band earlier in the 1950s. They formed it shortly after they burst onto the New York scene from Florida, but hard economic breaks forced them to disband and seek work elsewhere. Cannonball went with Miles Davis, Nat with Woody Herman. As the decade wound down, Cannonball’s success with Davis and increased popularity with the public led him to think he was ready to retrieve Nat and again try leadership. He was right. The new Adderley quintet quickly became beloved of listeners in clubs across the country. Nowhere was it more enthusiastically received than at the Jazz Workshop in San Francisco. In the fall of 1959, Adderley called his producer, Orrin Keepnews, and said now was the time and the Workshop was the place to record the quintet live. Keepnews sprang into action. The result was this album, one of the most spectacularly successful — and enjoyable — live recordings in the jazz canon.

"…These master tapes, now owned by Fantasy (now part of the Concord Record Group) are in superb condition, mostly because jazz titles never sold in large numbers and Scotch 111 tape was almost indestructible and held the signal extremely well. Anyone thinking original Riversides were some kind of sonic holy grail, is pulling your stylus: these 45rpm reissues beat originals in most of the ways that count, in my opinion: they are more dynamic, by far, are pressed on better vinyl and offer greater transparency. No wonder certain titles from the first series are already collector's items…I regret not having bought every Riverside title available to me at $1.98 back in 1964, just as thousands of jazz fans will regret missing out on these limited edition double 45rpm LPs from Analog Productions, so if you're even thinking about buying this one, get it while you can!" Music = 9/11; Sound = 9/11 – Michael Fremer, musicangle.com

“…I’m a big fan of this series, and we’re now into the third set of 25 Jazz titles from the Fantasy catalogue (now owned by Concord) and re-issued by Chad Kassem’s Analogue Productions as 180g 45rpm releases. Issuing 45s with music on both sides makes so much more sense than single-sided releases. (Especially as they don’t warp the way single-sided 45s tend to.) I love the work Steve Hoffman and Kevin Gray perform with these tapes. Masters the pair!…I can tell you that you won’t get the sound quality and the quiet surfaces this recording offers for $50. The musicians here are playing spontaneously at the Jazz Workshop and you’ve got that ‘club atmosphere’ going for you as well as the master players in the Quintet. Strongly recommended for those who have even the slightest interest in these outstanding musicians.” Recording = 8/10 Music = 8/10 – Richard Foster, Hi-Fi+, Issue 41, page 138

This Here
Spontaneous Combustion
Hi-Fly
You Got It
Bohemia After Dark

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Art Pepper left a legacy of innumerable appearances on records, but his sessions for Contemporary always seemed to find him in the best company and in the best shape. Here his impassioned alto sax is appropriately applied to the compositions of six saxophonists, among them Benny Carter, Ornette Coleman, and Pepper himself. The presence of Jack Sheldon in a rare performance as a small-group trumpeter was another important factor in the album's success.

"The soundstage is spacious and the imaging precise. Pepper is almost in the room (separated by only the thinnest of curtains); you can practically see the air swirling through his alto sax. Pete Jolly's piano is a bit closed-off (as if the lid were shut), but Jimmy Bond's bass thumps and Frank Butler's drumset smacks and sizzles." – Fred Kaplan, The Absolute Sound, March 2006

"…Art Pepper's 'Las Cuevas De Mario' is a wonderfully subtle and convoluted track, built entirely on a subtly insistent rhythm motif that's set up by the bass and piano, before the drums start to add accent and prompts. Against the background foundation Pepper's sax and Jack Sheldon's trumpet play beautiful chorus and call and response melodies. Superbly understated, there's a lot going at once yet the instrumentation stays sparse. A longtime collectible record…" – Roy Gregory, Hi-Fi+, Issue 45

Track Listings
1. Smack Up
2. Las Cuevas De Mario
3. A Bit Of Basie
4. How Can You Lose
5. Maybe Next Year
6. Tears Inside

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Another of the mid-1950s Ammons studio jam sessions for Prestige, Blue Gene lives up to its title by utilizing blues changes as the basis for three of its four selections. Pianist Mal Waldron wrote all these lines and the minor-key ballad, “Hip Tip.” Ammons was one of the most expressive saxophonists and, in Idrees Sulieman and Pepper Adams, he found soulmates among the other horns. Each man had jammed with Gene on Prestige previously.

featuring
Idrees Suliman
Pepper Adams
Mal Waldron
Arthur Taylor
Doug Watkins
Ray Barretto

Blue Gene
Scamperin'
Blue Greens 'N Beans
Hip Tip

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When Riverside Records recorded this John Lee Hooker session in 1959, producer Bill Grauer asked the Mississippi moaner to play acoustic guitar, much in the manner he had years earlier, before coming North, plugging in, and creating "boogie lightnin'." The result, on which Hooker put his distinct stamp on tunes associated with Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Lightnin' Hopkins and Big Bill Broonzy, as well as a number of his own highly personal compositions, is a country blues classic.

Track Listings

1. Burnin' Hell
2. Graveyard Blues
3. Baby, Please Don't Go
4. Jackson, Tennessee
5. You Live Your Life And I'll Live Mine
6. Smokestack Lightnin'
7. I Don't Want No Woman If Her Hair Ain't No Longer Than Mine (Short-Haired Woman)
8. I Rolled And Turned And Cried The Whole Night Long
9. Blues For My Baby
10. Key To The Highway
11. Natchez Fire (Burnin')

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The relationship between Dizzy Gillespie and Ray Brown goes back to the mid 1940s when Brown was the bassist in Gillespie's magnificent big band. Joe Pass and Mickey Rocker came along somewhat later. When he heard them, Dizzy understood immediately that they were worthy of admission into the inner circle of musicians whose artistic life was centered in the bebop tradition that he and Charlie Parker had established. The core of that tradition is perfectly expressed in this blistering version of Be Bop, a piece Dizzy wrote in 1942 that still tests musicians' ability to express themselves at high velocity. Gillespie's tender side and harmonic wisdom are disclosed in Hurry Home and September Song, his blues expressiveness in his classic Birks Works. Pass solos beautifully and rounds out a stunning rhythm section.

Track Listings

1. Tanga
2. Hurry Home
3. Russian Lullaby
4. Be Bop (Dizzy's Fingers)
5. Birks Works
6. September Song
7. Jitterbug Waltz

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Quiet Kenny is yet another reminder of what a trumpet giant Kenny Dorham was. Whether limning ballads such as “My Ideal,” “Alone Together,” “I Had the Craziest Dream” and “Old Folks,” or investigating the timelessness and intricacies of the blues (his originals in this set with “Blue” in their titles), the former Charlie Parker cohort and ex-Jazz Messenger exhibits his subtle swing, personal sound, and finely-honed harmonic sense. Along the way these reflections and connections with Bird, Coleman Hawkins, Sonny Rollins, Max Roach, Harry James and Louis Armstrong make for a rich legacy.

Track Listing:

Lotus Blossom
My Ideal
blue Friday
Alone Together
Blue Spring Shuffle
I Had The Craziest Dream
Old Folks
Mack the Knife

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This 1961 set of standards, favoring ballads, is Gene Ammons in his prime. For the most part, this session is tight and structured, keeping Ammons firmly locked in the groove more so than on some of his more wandering dates. His big-as-a-house tone stands center stage in front of a sympathetic piano-bass-drums trio of Richard Wyands, Doug Watkins and J.C. Heard, respectively.

Track Listings

1. Till There Was You
2. Answer Me, My Love
3. Willow Weep For Me
4. Little Girl Blue
5. Something I Dreamed Last Night
6. Something Wonderful
7. I Remember You
8. Someone To Watch Over Me

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One of the best efforts from Ammons' extensive catalog. A fat, warm, rich sax tone - you know, the one you immediately identify as Jug - is on display in all its glory on this great Moodsville release.

"Feeling tired and stressed out? Give Uncle Gene a spin. Besides perfect pitch, Ammons' other special gift was a melodic sense that allowed him to effectively convey feelings at slow tempos. Here is a great jazz ballad player given full scope to spin his charms." - Dick Olsher, Stereophile, February 1995

Track Listings:

1. Two Different Worlds
2. But Beautiful
3. Skylark
4. Three Little Words
5. Street Of Dreams
6. You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To
7. Under A Blanket Of Blue
8. I'm Glad There Is You

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John Coltrane brought a new sound and style to jazz, and he applied it in his own unique way to the standard material of the storehouse of American music gathered from Broadway, Hollywood and Tin Pan Alley. With the excellent rhythm team of Red Garland, Paul Chambers (both of whom had done so many concert, club and recording dates with him) and Jimmy Cobb and the Miles-directed flugelhorn of Wilbur Harden, Trane puts his personal stamp on numbers not done that often like Henry Nemo's "Don't Take Your Love from Me," Fred Ahlert's "I'll Get By" and two more familiar yet still not overdone songs, Richard Rodgers' "Spring Is Here" and Bronislau Kaper's "Invitation."

Track Listings:

1. Don't Take Your Love From Me
2. I'll Get By
3. Spring Is Here
4. Invitation

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"…Of this set of 25 albums being doled out over the next year, this is my favorite title of the bunch…This is the place to start for music lovers who would like to explore something a little more avant-garde, but are not feeling comfortable enough to leap straight in at the deep end of the pool…Hoffman and Gray have spun gold with these tapes…Like most of the titles in the Fantasy 45 Series, this new version takes the sound quality up a couple notches from the original. Top recommendation." – Dennis D. Davis, Hi-Fi+, Issue 51

Dolphy had left his native California and come east as part of Chico Hamilton's group, settling in New York in 1960 and becoming part of Charles Mingus's group. This first recording as a leader brought comparisons with Ornette Coleman but the two were really parallel figures in the then-emerging avant-garde. Dolphy did not eschew "changes," as Coleman did, but he used them in new ways. This LP was significant not only for his alto saxophone but introduced his individual approach to the flute and, particularly, the bass clarinet.

Track Listings:

1. G.W.
2. On Green Dolphin Street
3. Les
4. 245
5. Glad to Be Unhappy
6. Miss Toni

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When Cannonball and Nat Adderley heard Wes Montgomery in an Indianapolis after-hours club in the fall of 1959, Cannonball decided that this remarkable talent had to be exposed to the world. He then not so much persuaded, as ordered, Riverside’s Orrin Keepnews to record Montgomery. Soon, Keepnews flew to Indianapolis, listened, and signed Montgomery before the night ended. At the age of 37, this mild, teetotaling father of six was on his way to becoming the most influential jazz guitarist since Charlie Christian. What we hear on this SACD of Montgomery’s first album is essentially what the Adderleys and Keepnews heard, Wes at the helm of his trio playing his thrilling, melodic single-note lines, revolutionary octaves and block chords. After 12 Riverside albums, Montgomery switched to another label and had huge commercial success. But it was during the Riverside period that he astonished the jazz world with his technique, musicianship and soul. This is the record that started it all.

Track Listings:

1. 'Round Midnight
2. Yesterdays
3. The End of A Love Affair
4. Whisper Not
5. Ecaroh
6. Satin Doll (take 5)
7. Satin Doll
8. Missle Blues
9. Missle Blues
10. Too Late Now
11. Jingles

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Monk's second album for Riverside continued the label's initial plan to broaden his audience by the use of recognizable standard tunes instead of his somewhat frightening originals. Thelonious' uncompromising performances, along with major league support (Art Blakey and Oscar Pettiford) and strong material, helped to turn this concept into lastingly superior jazz. Particularly notable are Monk's sharp thrusts of humor on such well-worn pieces as "Honeysuckle Rose" and "Tea for Two." The album's impact was strengthened by one of the most unique covers ever devised. Riverside went so far as to print near-postage-sized Monk stamps, quite a few of which reportedly found their way through the actual mail.

Track Listing:

1. Liza (All The Clouds'll Roll Away)

2. Memories Of You

3. Honeysuckle Rose

4. Darn That Dream

5. Tea For Two

6. You Are Too Beautiful

7. Just You

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The formula was simple: surround Ella with a small group of virtuoso musicians who were regulars on the Pablo label for a session where informality prevailed and everyone could "stretch out." Ella is in top form, and the song selection includes many standards that are given fresh interpretations. The version of Monk's "Round Midnight" is not to be missed. And with the whole proceedings captured in audiophile-approved sound, this has to rank as one of the strongest dates of Ella's illustrious career.

1. Fine And Mellow
2. I''m Just A Lucky So And So
3. (I Don''t Stand) A Ghost Of A Chance With You
4. Rockin'' In Rhythm
5. I''m In The Mood For Love
6. ''Round Midnight
7. I Can''t Give You Anything But Love
8. The Man I Love
9. Polka Dots And Moonbeams

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The most impresssive point to be made about his record is that it is a product of precisely the same night's work as the earlier Riverside album, Thelonious Action; the two are in all respects a matched set. On the evening of August 7, 1958, recording equipment was rather precariously set up in the always-overcrowed Five Spot, the room where Monk had made his triumphant recent return to the New York club scene and was now appearing with a new quartet featuring Johnny Griffin. This turned out to be the first successful live recording of Thelonious (he had rejected the results of a night's work here a month earlier), and the substantial number of Monk-approved performances were readily programmed onto two full and equally memorable albums.

"...thanks to the outstanding mastering choices and the 4 side, 45rpm spread, dynamics and instrumental timbres are believable and the overall effect is of a lively, vivid presentation with great image three dimensionality and rhythmic drive...Listening to this great reissue is about as close as you can come to being at The Five Spot Cafe, August of 1958. Highly recommended! These limited editions are sure to sell out, if not sooner, then later, and they will become collector's items in the (not to distant). So if you can afford the admittedly steep ($50) asking price, get this and some of the others while you can." Music = 10/11; Sound = 10/11 - Michael Fremer, www.musicangle.com

1. Well, You Needn't
2. Misterioso
3. Light Blue
4. I'm Getting Sentimental Over You
5. All The Things You Are
6. Honeysuckle Rose
7. Bemsha Swing
8. Evidence

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This was Sonny’s second Contemporary album and his second West Coast session, a year and a half after the historic Way Out West. Jazz labels acquire “personalities” not only from the musical tastes of the owner/recording director but also from the roster of musicians signed to the company. The “Contemporary Sound”— every bit as distinctive as the competing “Blue Note Sound,” “Prestige Sound,” and “Pacific Jazz Sound”— was largely a product of the work by Hampton Hawes, Barney Kessel and Shelly Manne, all of whom had won Down Beat awards for their respective instruments and recorded as “The Poll Winners.”

What Would You Do?
Fast Livin' Blues
Saturday Night Fish Fry
Do You Call That A Buddy
I'll Die Happy
Another Get Together
Contemporary Blues
Stop and Go Blues
I Never Get Enough Of You

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Shakey Jake - Mouth Harp Blues The late James Harris earned the moniker "Shakey Jake" due to his proficiency at dice, but he was equally adept at the blues game. The Arkansas-born, Chicago-based singer and harmonica blower traveled to Rudy Van Gelder's New Jersey studio in November 1960 to record this, his second album for the Bluesville label. Jake brought along Jimmie Lee Robinson, the brilliant, fast-fingered guitarist best known for his work with Little Walter's band. Also making tasty contributions to the session was Robert Banks, the New York R&B and gospel studio organist who, in this case, ably appointed himself as a two-fisted blues piano stylist. Among the 10 selections is the distinctively loping "Easy Baby," a tune also associated with Jake's nephew Magic Sam.

Guitarist Jimmie Lee Robinson, who died in 2002, was the soul of Acoustic Sounds' own APO Records. He was the first to record at Blue Heaven Studios, having made three records (one still unreleased) in the converted church, and he was there several more times to perform. A Chicago native and lifelong resident, Robinson began playing guitar in the open-air market on Maxwell Street in 1942 with the likes of Big Bill Broonzy and Robert Nighthawk. He later teamed with Freddie King for a four-year partnership and went on to play guitar and bass with Little Walter, Howlin' Wolf, Eddie Taylor, Elmore James, Jimmy Rogers, Jimmy Reed, Magic Sam and of course Shakey Jake.

Track Listings:

1. Mouth Harp Blues
2. Love My Baby
3. Jake's Cha Cha
4. Gimme A Smile
5. My Broken Heart
6. Angry Lover
7. Things Is Alright
8. Easy Baby
9. Things Are Different Baby
10. It Won't Happen Again

This title is not eligible for further discount.

Anyone who ever heard Count Basie launch his band into a blues with several choruses of effortless piano has lamented that there is far too little of Basie the soloist among his recorded legacy. This shortage was rectified to a certain extent by the trio albums Basie made with Ray Brown and Louis Bellson in the Seventies, of which this is the sequel to the For the First Time set of the previous year. Once again, Basie’s poetic introductions, precise calibrations of touch and coloration and definitive swing create a joyous program of four venerable standards and an equal number of new blues. Bellson is empathetic throughout and dances with his brushes on “Sandman,” while Brown’s robust tone and earth-moving walking lines bring out the best in Basie the soloist and accompanist.

Track Listing:

Sandman
If I Could Be With You One Hour Tonight
Draw
On The Sunny Side Of The Street
The One I Love Belongs To Someone Else
Blues For Eric
I Surrender, Dear
Racehorse

This title is not eligible for further discount.